The Only Exception
by AnnoedFaceless
Summary: Nergal Jr. feels like he'll be alone his entire life...until he meets Charlotte McGovern, another sophomore like him. Unlike the other teens their age, she is something that none of them are. She's blind. Join Junior and Charlotte as they battle everything from emotions to inner demons. (Nergal Jr. x OC and Grim x OC)


_"Freak!" _

_"Go cry to your mommy!" _

Charlotte felt the tears and harsh winter winds sting her cheeks as she ran. The events of school earlier that day would scar her forever. She had tried to convince herself that they were only jealous, but what was there to be jealous of? A blind girl who was covered in scars? The only person she had left was her mother, who was working almost everyday until midnight. Today was the same as every one before it. Get up, go to school, get teased and then be released early by her private teacher.

She quickly ran inside the house and locked the door behind her. For being blind, she could navigate the house pretty well. She knew were the food was, but if something was misplaced, she had one hell of a time trying to find it. All of her books were in braille, which was another thing that kids teased her about. No matter how much they bothered her about it, she'd always find comfort in books over people.

After almost tripping on the Christmas tree, she headed upstairs and grabbed her guitar. She felt over her desk for her guitar pick. When she didn't feel it, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Then, she patted her pockets. It must have fallen into the snow! She let out a shaky sigh and felt the tears begin to fill her eyes again. Why did today have to be worse than all the others?

Suddenly, a knock came from downstairs. She set her guitar down on her bed and hurried downstairs. Gingerly, she felt for the doorknob. When she found it, she unlocked the door and pulled it open. She could just barely see the blurred image of someone standing on her front porch. She tilted her head slightly.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I saw you run from school earlier." The voice surprised her because of its quiet tone. "I think you dropped this."

"I-I'm blind." She whispered. "You'll have to put it in my hand."

"Oh." The person said and placed a small, plastic object in her hand. The guitar pick!

"I was looking for this." She smiled and held it tightly. "Thank you. Do you want to come in?"

"I am freezing out here." She moved to the side and heard the person step inside. She heard boots squeak on the wood floor and she shut the door, making sure to lock it. The entire time, she was very curious to see the stranger that she had invited into her home.

"Do you want some cocoa?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes." The person said and she hurried into the kitchen to make it. When it was finished, she put the cup on the table for him. Well, she thought it was a him, anyway. It definitely didn't sound like a girl to her.

"So, what's your name?" She looked towards his general direction.

"Nergal Jr." He said softly and she got up.

"I like that name." She smiled. "It's unique. I'll be back down here in a minute."

"Alright." He nodded and watched her go upstairs.

No one had ever been this kind to him besides his mother and father. As he sipped at the chocolate drink in front of him, he pondered on what made her so upset. If he didn't know any better, she was being bullied just as he had been for the past few years. He was now in High School, which made everything worse. He was 5'10 in height, so he had to duck just to get into certain places. It was pretty embarrassing.

He watched as Charlotte came back down the stairs, her chocolate hair bouncing as she walked. For a girl in Endsville, she was rather pretty. Her cheeks were dusted with freckles and her skin was fair. However, the scars on the underside of her arm intrigued him much more than they should have. She wore a pair of skinny jeans with furry boots on and a nice shirt. He couldn't help but smile at the way she looked around, oblivious to her surroundings.

"How can you play guitar if you can't see?" He asked suddenly and she sat beside him.

"My dad taught me when I was young." She responded. "He told me that just because I'm blind, doesn't mean I can't do things other people can."

"Can I hear you play it?" He smiled lightly and she nodded. He noticed that he was definitely full of questions, but shoved the others away and listened to the harmonic sound of the stringed instrument.

"I remember years ago," She sang quietly. "Someone told me I should take caution when it comes to love, I did."

As she continued, he found himself getting lost in her voice.

"You were strong and I was not," She opened her cloudy eyes. "My illusion, my mistake. I was careless, I forgot, I did...and now, when all is done and there's nothing to say, you have gone and so effortlessly..."

She went silent and her fingers stopped moving. Nergal wasn't too pleased with the eerie silence that filled the room, so tentatively, he clapped.

"You're good." He said.

"Thank you, Nergal." She replied. "Are you enjoying your cocoa?"

"Yes." He lied. In fact, he had forgotten all about it. He took a sip to find that it had gotten to a lukewarm temperature. Despite how terrible it tasted to him, he swallowed the rest of it.

"That's good." She blinked.

A very still silence passed between them for a while. Neither of them were okay with it. Charlotte had never wanted to see more than she was able. Until now, of course. She was desperate to see the only person that was kind to her besides her mother. Nergal wanted to get to know her even more. He knew that his father was going to wonder where he was at, but it was worth it. She was so gentle and shy, it had to be criminal.

"Aren't your parents going to be worried?" Nergal jumped when she asked him the question.

"I probably should be going." He responded and walked over to the door.

"Tomorrow is Saturday." Charlotte said softly. "Can you visit tomorrow?"

"Yes." Nergal actually smiled a genuine smile. "Yes, I will. See you around three."

"Alright." Charlotte gave him a grin before he left.

When he did, she stood up and squealed softly. She couldn't remember when she last had a friend. She glanced in the direction of the window and noticed how dark it had gotten. She grabbed her guitar and went upstairs. She placed it and the pick in their normal places and changed into her cotton nightgown. With a little difficulty, she reached for her home phone to call her mother. It was a routine to call her before going to bed. Charlotte was actually looking forward to this call. After dialing her number, she waited for a moment.

"Hello?" Her mother's familiar voice filled her ear.

"Hi, mommy." She said.

"Hey!" Her mother gasped. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

"Good." Charlotte smiled. "Guess what?"

"What?" She asked.

"I made a friend today." Charlotte bit her lip a bit and laughed at the sound of her mother's gasp.

"Really?" She said. "What is your friend's name?"

"Nergal Jr." Charlotte responded. "He's really kind."

"_He?_" Her mother's voice became teasing. "Does he sound cute?"

"Mom!" It was Charlotte's turn to gasp. "I am not answering that!"

"Well?" She insisted. "Is he or not?"

"I guess he is a little..." Charlotte thought on the word as her face became flushed. "Attractive sounding."

"Aw!" Her mother giggled. "Well, I have to go. Got lots of paperwork to do tonight, but I'll be back for Christmas. I love you!"

"I love you too." She responded before hanging up.

* * *

"Where have you been, son?" Nergal Jr.'s father came down the hallway.

"I was assisting someone." He admitted and his father tilted his head.

"Who?" He asked, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"A girl named Charlotte." Nergal Jr. removed his jacket and turned to hang it up.

Also to ignore the suggestive eyebrow raise from his father. Nergal Jr. went into the kitchen to grab himself a snack and his father followed him like a shadow. Junior knew what was coming next and he didn't like it.

"So, a girl." Nergal smirked and his son sat down in a chair.

"Yes." He rolled his eyes and looked at the table. The snack would have to wait.

"What is she like?" His father asked.

"Well," Nergal Jr. didn't really see a point in lying to his father. "She's blind, so the way she does average things are much different than the others. However, she can play guitar very well."

"She showed you?" Nergal asked.

"Yes." Junior nodded. "I found her guitar pick on the ground and returned it to her. That's how we started talking."

"Continue." His father said with the same smirk he started out with.

"She's rather small." Junior tried to continue without saying too much. "She has freckles and because of her blindness, she has these white scar tissue marks over her pupil. She...never mind."

"What were you going to say?" Nergal's smile only grew.

"She smells like jasmine, marshmallows and vanilla." Junior crossed his arms and looked at his lap.

"Ooh.." Nergal laughed as his son's face took on a red tinge. "I think, my son, that you have your first crush!"

"C-Crush?" Junior looked up. "No way. No. Ugh, no!"

"Who are you trying to convince?" His father asked him and tipped back in his chair. "Me or yourself?"

"Myself." Nergal Jr. responded in a very soft voice.

"Don't feel bad." Nergal stood and gently patted his son's shoulder. "She'll probably like you the same way."

As his dad walked from the room, Junior smelled his gloves. As faint as the smell of water, lingered the scent of vanilla. He smiled and headed to his room. He needed to think of something to do with her, since she was blind and all


End file.
